Top 5: Primate

One of my favourite little ear candy toys. Texture is perfect for adding movement and character to sounds that feel too static. It creates a secondary ‘texture’ layer that follows the original audio, letting you blend in noise, grit, or tonal elements in perfect sync and with great control. It’s great for snares, percussion, or atmospheres that need extra bite or energy. I’m also a very big fan of using it on basses or drum loops, giving them that crunchy top end. You can choose between so many different experimental sounds such as water, cymbals, crackles and so on. On top of that you have so much control over the decay, EQ, gate and so much more. Even adding small amounts go a long way when gluing sounds together, definitely a must-have polishing tool!

This tool is the first thing I add to every vocal. CLA Vocals is a full vocal chain in one plugin – EQ, compression, reverb, delay, pitch effects, and stereo widening all in a simple layout. It’s perfect for making vocals cut through fast, without building complex chains. The built-in compression and EQ control dynamics instantly, while the reverb and delay sections add width and depth. If you’re not really sure how to approach a specific vocal mix, or you just rather work on the instrumental first, then this is the perfect tool! It’s all about quick results and vibe rather than endless tweaking. Sometimes a dry recording with a single CLA instance can be all it needs to give it that professional sound, especially if you’re looking to have it pop out in a busy mix.

I use Transient Designer a bit more than I’d like to admit! It’s so easy to use on any sound to make it more tight and upfront. Reduce sustain, add some attack and wham! Suddenly your sound is pushing through that much more. There’s a lot of different ‘transient designers’ out there, but I have to admit that this one offers the greatest control and it’s easy to use with not too many gimmicks. Taking down the sustain all the way will legit almost completely remove the sound – a very good way to use it is on your drum bus. Before feeding the SPL Transient Designer, add an upward dynamic EQ/multiband compressor on the transient bands, up the attack and take down the sustain. You’ll be surprised how hard those drums will start hitting, and it really glues the whole drum group together. It’s simple, fast, and works on virtually anything.